For some time I’ve believed that, for the Middle East peace process to make any headway, the Palestinians would first need to get their house in order. Unfortunately, this has taken the form of civil war.

My assumption was that since Fatah was by all reports far stronger, it would defeat Hamas in any civil war and then be in a position to negotiate with Israel if it was interested in pursuing statehood. Mahmoud Abbas, however, was unwilling to confront his rivals. Depending on your interpretation, he was either too weak and indecisive or too committed to Palestinian unity.

While Abbas fiddled, however, Hamas plotted. Weapons were smuggled, opponents intimidated or killed, and the radicals became convinced Abbas would not stand up to them. They proved correct and now have staged a coup. Actually, it is more like a mafia war in which one family has all but wiped out its rival in Gaza by gangland style intimidation and murder (e.g., Fatah men have been shot in front of their wives and children or wives and children shot in front of the men).

Israel now must confront two separate Palestinian mini states. Hamastan in Gaza and Fatahland in the West Bank. It’s difficult to predict how this will play out in coming weeks and months. Hamastan is likely to continue to grow stronger as there will be no constraints on its military buildup unless Egypt stops the rampant smuggling across its border. Israel has been facing months of rocket attacks from Gaza and it is conceivable they could escalate as Hamas attempts to draw Israel into a fight similar to the one it had last summer in Lebanon. No one expects Hamas to be interested in negotiations given their repeated commitment to destroy Israel.

Meanwhile, Fatah is going to try to settle its score with whatever Hamasniks are in the West Bank and try to consolidate its power. In theory, Israel might now negotiate with Abbas solely over the territory in the West Bank. This would require him, however, to forego the idea of Palestinian unity for the moment and leave Hamastan to fend for itself. It’s hard to believe he or any other Palestinian would do that, though they could certainly argue it is justfied by the way Hamas took over.

The higher probability is that the Palestinian civil war will ensure months if not years of paralysis in the peace process as there will be no one for Israel to negotiate with who can assure peace from both Fatahland and Hamastan. This situation is exacerbated by Israel’s own political paralysis created by the lack of confidence in the Olmert government and the ongoing possibility that the government will collapse and new elections be called. Adding to the pessimism is the upcoming U.S. election, which is often viewed as an impediment to American activism in the peace process. Given conditions in the region, this is likely just as well, as there is little the United States can do until some credible leadership emerges on both sides.